Did Genghis Khan have more of a positive or negative impact upon the people with which he came into contact with? Although Genghis Khan may have made some beneficial contributions to society, which made a long lasting impressions ours, such as improving the wellbeing of his nation, and conquering other territories. Genghis Khan had more of a negative impact upon the people with which he came into contact with because he believed he was the chosen one, and acted as a merciless emperor. Genghis Khan improved the wellbeing of his nation.
During Genghis Khan’s rule he strived for one thing. The best for his nation. During his reign he helped to reshape the geography of that area. According to Kevin Krajick, The Mongols “reshaped world geography, culture and history in ways that still resound today. ” Because of the Mongol’s extensive use of war horses this caused a shortage of grass as well as an increase in travel. The Mongol’s changed their culture by starting a string of attacks and barbarish celebrations. They changed history by defeating large empires that would have ruled for many more years.
Genghis Khan was also able to better his nation by improving social standards. Genghis Khan mproved society by, “For starters: he abolished torture, embraced religious freedom, united disparate tribes, hated aristocratic privilege, ran his kingdoms meritocratically, loved learning and advanced the rights of women in Mongol society. ” Genghis Khan bettered his nation by creating a safe environment for all. No one had to live in fear because of their religion, heritage, or gender. Also, Genghis Khan encouraged learning which would only benefit the future the of his nation.
With the abolishment of torture, Genghis Khan started to cast away his barbaric reputation. Genghis Khan was also able to mprove the communication of his nation. As Khan, on of his earliest decrees involved, “the formation of a mounted courier service known as the ‘Yam. ” The “Yam” is most closely associated with today’s postal service. This allowed for news to travel as a much faster rate. This was used for military use, as well as sending and receiving news. This revolutionized this time period and helped to introduce the mail system.
Genghis Khan’s main goal was to improve his nation and would not stop until he succeeds. Genghis Khan made his nation into one of the most powerful in history. One of the reasons that made his empire he most powerful was the size of his empire, “Eight hundred years a relatively small army eventually conquered the largest contiguous empire in history. ” It is believed that the Mongols ruled between eleven and twelve million square miles. His empire was roughly twice the size of the Roman Empire. This allowed them to have a superior size to all others.
In order to have the most powerful empire in history, Genghis Khan had one goal, “Unite the whole world in one empire. ” But, as he said, “[Since the] calling is high, the obligations incumbent on me are also heavy. ” He wanted to unite the whole world into one mpire under his control. He knew that this would be difficult but he wanted to do it anyways. He knew there might be struggles and setbacks but he was willing to try. Another reason to why he was able to make his nation into one of the most powerful in history was his passion for his empire, “If my body dies, let my body die, but do not let my country die. Genghis Khan was willing to die for his country.
He would do anything within his power to let it live on. It was Genghis Khan’s drive and passion which allowed his empire to become one of the most powerful in history. Genghis Khan was a merciless emperor. During his reign as emperor, Genghis Khan killed and ravaged many civilizations and villages, “He was responsible for the deaths of as many as 40 million people. ” The amount of people that he is responsible for killing is inconceivable. Genghis Khan would destroy civilizations beyond repair.
He wouldn’t leave a single survivor. Genghis Khan took pride in destroying his enemies. He once said, “The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy, to drive him before you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him shrouded in tears, and to gather into your bosom his wives and daughters. He would not be satisfied with just defeating them in battle. He needed to make it so they could not come back from it. He took joy in truly wrecking all that his opponents stood for. He wanted to see them suffer.
After Genghis Khan would living thing was spared, including small domestic animals and livestock. Skulls of men, women, and children were piled in large, pyramidal mounds. ” He did not care if you were a child, he would kill you. It did not matter if you had wronged him or if you did nothing wrong. He did not even care if you could benefit him, he went to extreme measures to make an example. In rder to prove a point, “Temujin’s Mongols then defeated the Taichi’ut using a series of massive cavalry attacks, including having all of the Taichi’ut chiefs boiled alive. Temujin, another name Genghis Khan, would go to extreme lengths to assert his dominance.
He would use smart military tactics, and then use barbaric ways to finish them off. This would be his way of sending the message, don’t test me. Genghis Khan believed that he was the chosen one. Genghis Khan once said, “I am the flail of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you. ” He believed that it as his responsibility to act on behalf of god. He was sent to punish sinners on behalf of God. He said it as if they should know why he was attacking them.
When he was trying to better his nation, he once said, “It is not sufficient that I succeed – all oy a village, “No others must fail. ” It would not suffice that for him to be better than everyone else. He needed to be the best and have everyone else fail. Genghis Khan thought that since he was sent by God, he had to be like God, “There were no portraits or paintings ever made of Genghis Khan. ” He did not allow there to be any pictures or portraits of him to be produced. Since God had none, why should he? Genghis Khan liked there to be a mystery about him which provided even more fear in his enemies.
This was not the only piece of mystery about him, “According to legend, his funeral procession slaughtered everyone they came in contact with during their journey and then repeatedly rode horses over his grave to help conceal it. ” Because of his sudden death he could not plan his funeral. No one knows exactly where he was buried but there is a certain area where he is believed to be buried. The Mongols went to a great deal to keep it hidden as they sent the funeral procession ut away from the rest of the Mongols, and buried him in a way that could not be identified from another piece of land.
Genghis Khan surrounded himself in mystery to set himself apart from everyone else. This made him seem like the chosen one. The Mongol Empire is classified with a list many other great Empires. They have all been led by great leaders and prospered. They all had immediate impacts and long term impacts that could have been positive or negative. Like the Han Dynasty which invented paper, the Mongols contributed the Yam. But at one point or another, the great leader died and the Empire declined.